Aside from Xianghua, Talim is one of the strongest abusers of the side step game. She can easily run circles around the bigger characters and a lot of her better moves tend to disorient the opponent into one direction or another (or completely turned around).
This isn't to say she doesn't have a more direct, straight up game either. Her physical speed makes her very slippery, capable of moving in and out of short range quickly. She can reach most characters within medium range, leaving only her long game lacking anything capable of turtling your opponent with.
Lets face it, Talim isn't a character you choose to sit back and peck your opponent with. Constant movement and control of the orientation of the arena are her two best weapons. Add onto this the fact that her moves are fast, varied, and numerous--and you have a very annoying little girl that will give slower opponents hell.
Talim has a lot of speed on her hands, and because of this, she also has a ton of great quick attack chains like Swift Espada. They move her into short range and can really apply pressure. It is advisable to have a plan once inside, however, as some of these combos won't ground or shove back an opponent. In addition, try some of these other basic attack chains: Razor Gale (3, A, A). Olisi Whirlwind (4, A, A). Olisi Kick (4, A, K). Reverse Elbow Witik (B, A). Salisi Breeze (B, B, A).
As mentioned before, Talim has a lot of offensive options available to her that allow for some slippery abuse of the side-step. Some combos, such as Salisi Breeze into Wind Charmer Two or Air Blade Thrust into Wind Charmer Two (4, B, 2 (or 8)) allow Talim to attack, screw up the orientation of the match, and then attack again.
Beginner Talim players will benefit greatly by learning how to take full advantage of Talim's ability to move in and side-step around opponents. Wind Sault and Wind Charmer allow Talim to do this, as well as gives her a plethora of offensive options. Try experimenting with moves like Turning Espada (Wind Charmer Two, A, A), Baraw Strikes (Wind Charmer Two, B, B), or Double Inwardi (Wind Sault, A).
Click here to see all of Talim's moves
